Cyprus is an independent sovereign Republic with a presidential system of government. Under the 1960 Constitution, executive power is exercised by the President (Head of State and Government), elected by universal suffrage for a five-year term of office, through a Council of Ministers appointed by him. The office of the Vice-President, to be held by a Turkish Cypriot as provided by the Constitution, remains vacant because of the refusal of the Turkish Cypriot leadership to participate in the government of the Republic of Cyprus. For the same reason, the ministries and public service positions allocated to Turkish Cypriots are, out of necessity, held now by Greek Cypriots.

Legislative authority is exercised by the House of Representatives. Its members are elected for a five-year term. At the time of its establishment the House consisted of 50 members, 35 of whom were to be Greek Cypriots and 15 Turkish Cypriots. Through a constitutional amendment in 1985, the number of seats was increased to 80 - 56 allocated to Greek Cypriot members and 24 reserved for Turkish Cypriot deputies. After the Parliamentary elections which took place on May 20, 2011, the seats of the House were divided as follows: Democratic Rally 20, AKEL - Left - New Forces 19, Democratic Party (DIKO) 9, Movement of Social Democrats (EDEK) 5, European Party (EVROKO) 2, Green Party 1. On June 2, 2011, Mr. Omirou L. Giannakis, President of EDEK, was elected in the position of Chairman of the House of Representatives. Given the vacancy in the Vice-President’s office, the House President serves as acting President of the Republic in the event of absence of the latter abroad. Following the withdrawal of the Turkish Cypriot members in 1964 the House has been functioning only with the Greek Cypriot members. According to the 1960 Constitution the Maronite, Armenian and Latin communities, who opted to belong to the Greek Cypriot community, also elect representatives who attend meetings without a right of participation in the deliberations. They are consulted in matters concerning particular affairs of their respective religious groups.

Judiciary

The administration of justice is exercised by the island's separate and independent judiciary. Under the 1960 Constitution and other legislation in force, the following judicial institutions have been established:

The Supreme Court of the Republic, The Assize Courts and District Courts.

Independent Officers and Bodies

There are also independent officers and bodies which do not come under any ministry: the Attorney-General and the Auditor-General who head the Law Office and Audit Office respectively; the Governor of the Central Bank of Cyprus; the Ombudsman (Commissioner for Administration); the Public Service Commission; the Education Service Commission; the Planning Bureau; the Treasury; the Commission for the Protection of Competition; the Office of the Commissioner of Electronic Communications and Postal Regulation; the Cyprus Energy Regulatory Authority; the Cyprus Agricultural Payments Organisation; the Office of the Commissioner for Personal Data Protection; the Cooperative Societies Supervision and Development Authority; the Internal Audit Service; the Office of the Commissioner for State Aid Control; the Tenders Review Authority; the Law Commissioner; the Tax Tribunal; the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission; and the Radio and Television Authority; the Reviewing Authority of Refugees and the Commissioner for the Protection of Children’s Rights.